Airplane Owner Maintenance

A Maintenance Oriented Podcast For Airplane Owners, Pilots, and Mechanics

Tag: airplane

121 – When to Fire an A&P

August 24, 2019 / / 3 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Is there ever a good reason to fire an A&P?

I think so… and in today’s episode, we’ll talk about some evidence for one of those times. Scroll down for the appalling pictures I took recently!

But before that, I want to share some inspiring information related to the amazing Stinson family of airplanes. And… if you are as involved in your airplane’s maintenance as Bret Chilcott and Randy Phillips, the chances are slim to none that you’ll ever find yourself in a situation where you need to fire your A&P. You’ll be so involved in the process, that you naturally work with an A&P and IA who are competent, skilled, and very professional.

Here’s a video from Bret Chilcott. He sent this to me a good while back when he was changing a cylinder on his Stinson 108 airplane… I love the color of his airplane! Thanks for the video Bret! You’re one of my airplane owner heroes!

And for you Stinson owners, (and perhaps others as well, because the Stinson guys are so inspiring,) here’s a link to the Stinson Tech Channel on YouTube, which is managed by Randy Phillips, another great guy. Listen to today’s episode to hear an audio clip from Randy.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQVOk7qUlVTTXH8hJpdQjg

Randy mentioned something I have not thought much about… the “Owner assisted engine overhaul.” What a fascinating idea! I’m interested in learning more about that one… thanks Randy!

One more really helpful contact for Stinson airplanes and for Franklin engines, is Jack Stewart. Jack is the A&P / IA who Randy Phillips worked with to overhaul his airplane engine awhile back. He’s very knowledgeable and here’s a link for a YouTube video of a Franklin engine seminar by Jack:

Now for a totally different topic.

I discovered something awhile ago on a Cessna airplane that was absolutely appalling to me, and I thought I’d share some pictures and some thoughts that came to my mind about “When to fire an A&P.”

It’s rare that I see something this appalling on an airplane, but I thought this one was so bad, I’d talk about it in today’s episode and share some pictures. It was also a good opportunity for me to use my borescope, since I had to take most of these pictures under the floor of this airplane.

Here is a sampling of what I found on a seat track installation in a Cessna airplane… I could hardly believe it!

Oops! This rivet was obviously hit with a rivet gun, but was not bucked properly.
Oops! They forgot to put a nut on this screw.
Oops! Lots of mis-drilled holes.
Oops! Rivets too short, and holes too large. Also check out the butchered holes to the left.
Oops! Left rivet: Too short, deformed, and hole too large. Right Cherry Max rivet: Hole too large, and rivet not seated properly.
Oops! A piece of seat track installed UNDER the floor!?!?
Oops! Rivet hole way to large.
Oops! Blind rivets not seated properly… the center stem and locking collar should be visible and flush with the surface of the rivet head.
Oops! Extra, unused holes in the seat track.
Oops! This rivet was pulled crooked and did not seat properly.
And for the final oops… they didn’t even bother to clean out the shavings and old rivet tails under the floor.

So… what about all this?

If I found any one of these situations in the previous pictures on an airplane, and it was an isolated issue by itself, I’d probably just fix it and go on without thinking too much about it. But to have so many issues on the same installation… that’s just incompetent at best, and even might be considered beyond negligent.

Perhaps, this is one time when it would be appropriate to “Fire an A&P.” I certainly would not want this person anywhere near my airplane engine, or any other critical part of the airplane. This, to me, is totally unacceptable, and it got me thinking about when it might be appropriate to “Fire an A&P.” And I thought of several times. Here they are:

  • If they are deceptive, and you can’t trust them.
  • If interactions with them are continually frustrating.
  • If there is continuous lack of communication.
  • And… if they do something like the butchered seat track installation in these pictures.

Thankfully, A&P’s are usually skilled, dependable, and conscientious. But for some rare occasions, there might be a time to “Fire an A&P.”

My challenge for all of us: Be the best you can be, in the situation you’re in!

And for all A&P’s and IA’s who are doing excellent work: Well done my friends! You have a very important job and people are counting on you. Keep up the good work!

116 – Rough Engine: Spark Plugs or Magneto?

May 26, 2019 / / 2 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here are some recent happenings, straight from the shop at Classic Aviation, LLC:

Birds in the cowling!

It’s bird nest season, and they are driving airplane owners crazy by building nests on top of engines.

Listen to today’s episode to hear about a Bonanza owner with 2 nests on his engine after a short stay at Shenandoah valley.

And here’s a Cessna 182 that came into the shop for some maintenance. When it’s nesting season, the birds don’t waste any time making a safe place for their eggs.

Corrosion on the battery terminals!

Here’s what the battery terminals looked like on a Cessna 182 that stopped at KSHD due to an intermittent electrical charging system:

The negative terminal was severely corroded.
The positive terminal had some minor corrosion as well.

Reminder: As an airplane owner, you can help ensure reliable electrical system operation by keeping your battery terminals free of corrosion.

It’s a good idea to check these terminals at least once in between your annual inspection, and apply some anti-corrosion spray.

Rough engine: Is it spark plugs, or a magneto?

Here’s a spark plug from a Piper Apache that had a rough mag check.

I received an email from the flight instructor and he was suspecting a magneto problem.

However, after some troubleshooting by running the engine, watching the JPI engine monitor, and removing the specific, affected spark plugs, it turned out there were actually 3 fouled spark plugs!

One way to avoid fouled spark plugs, is to aggresively lean the mixture while taxiing around on the ground at low RPM’s.

It’s amazing how much you can lean the mixture on the ground at 1000 RPM and still have the engines run smoothly during taxi operations.

AND, with the mixtures this lean, there is little chance of forgetting to enrich them for takeoff, since the engines will likely not run well if advanced to takeoff power.

For this reason, during taxi operations, it’s good to lean until the engine almost quits, and then enrichen enough to run smoothly.

If you only lean slightly for taxi operations, you risk forgetting to set the mixtures for takeoff.

Here is how I was able to set the mixture controls in that Piper Apache on the ground at 1000 RPM’s, for smooth ground operations.

So, that’s all for this week.

Remember:

Keep the birds out of your cowling if your airplane is parked on the ramp.

Keep your battery connections free of corrosion for reliable electrical system operation.

And consider how you can lean your idle mixture for cleaner spark plugs during taxi operations.

Have a great week!

115 – Which Borescope Should I Buy?

May 6, 2019 / / 7 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This is a question many airplane owners, A&P’s, and IA’s ask when getting started with borescoping piston engine cylinders.

If you want to look at the exhaust valves (and other things,) in an airplane engine’s cylinders, this borescope is the one I confidently recommend: The Vividia VA-400. Here are my best reasons:

  1. It has a 180 degree articulating probe. (You can easily see the exhaust valve through the spark plug hole.)
  2. It takes excellent pictures.
  3. The price is great.
  4. It’s been tested and approved by many in the general aviation community.

Check out the following links to purchase the VA-400 borescope, or the bundle that includes both the borescope AND the wifi adapter for connecting to your iPhone or iPad:

And, if you use the code “Dean” at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount off the purchase price.

For the VA-400 borescope:

https://www.oasisscientific.com/vividia-va-400-rigid-usb-articulating-borescope-videoscope-inspection-camera.html

The borescope above will connect directly to an Android device or tablet.

Or, if you’re like me and want to use your iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to buy the bundle which includes the VA-400 above, along with a WiFi adapter to allow viewing on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s the bundle: (This is the one I bought.)

https://www.oasisscientific.com/store/p374/VA-400-WiFi_Bundle%3A_Vividia_Ablescope_VA-400_USB_Rigid_Articulating_Borescope_plus_VA-B2_WiFi_AirBox_for_iPad_iPhone_and_Android_Phone_and_Tablet.html

It’s an incredible tool that comes in a really nice metal box.

I’m really happy with this borescope. If you’re looking for a borescope, this one may well be a good option for you as well.

Remember, if you purchase using one of the links above, and use the code “Dean” at checkout, you can get a 10% discount off the purchase price.

If you have not downloaded my free PDF Exhaust Valve Inspection Guide, with pictures and descriptions of what to look for, be sure to grab a copy of that as well… it will be super helpful in using your new borescope. You can get access to that free guide here: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

On another note, I had the great privilege of being on the Fly Maui Podcast with John and Leslie Caubble last week (episode 29.) It was great talking with them about “Beyond the Preflight Checklist,” where we talked about helpful things to know, that may not be on the standard preflight checklist. Check out the Fly Maui Podcast here: https://www.flymauihi.com/blog

Thanks John and Leslie, for all your inspiration, and for sharing your journey!

——————————————————————————————————————

Have a great week everyone!

114 – Free Resource for Airplane Owners to Confidently Borescope Exhaust Valves

April 24, 2019 / / 2 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Free Training: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Here are two of the many pictures of exhaust valves that are in the free training guide I’m offering to you, “Exhaust Valve Borescope Inspections.”

Would you know what to do if you saw this? Get the free training guide and read about what’s going on with this exhaust valve from a Turbo-normalized A36 Bonanza.

Here’s another one:

This exhaust valve is actually in a Lycoming IO-360 engine. After seeing this, I’m a firm believer in doing borescope inspections with every annual, not just for Continental engines, but for Lycoming and Franklin engines as well.

These two exhaust valves and many more, along with explanations, are included in the free borescoping guide.

Here’s the link to subscribe to this free training:

airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Please take advantage of this free offer, and if you find it helpful, please share the link wherever you feel is appropriate.

——————————————————————————————————————-

Also in this week’s podcast, I’m sharing some information about magneto contact points. Like exhaust valves, this is an item that is normally hidden unless effort is made to see it. When I saw these contact points, I was reminded of how important it is to do 500 hour inspections on magnetos. This magneto has approximately 1100 hours on it, and the contact points are in poor condition… startling condition actually.

Look at the right side, and then we’ll zoom in on the next picture.

Notice the very dirty contact points.

Very nasty… not sure how much longer this magneto would have run.

Bottom line lesson here: For safe and reliable operation, magnetos need regular maintenance, and the 500 hour inspection recommendation is there for a good reason.

My favorite magneto shop is Aircraft Ignition Services, LLC in Honey Grove, Texas, just outside of Dallas. This is a fantastic shop run by Kevin and Leah Herrington. Everything about their work is top notch. The work is excellent and the ongoing support and service is the best I’ve seen. Here’s their website. Take a look, and give ’em a call if you need any magneto work.

http://aircraftignitionservices.com

This is exactly where this magneto will be going, for 500 hour inspection and any necessary repairs.

——————————————————————————————————————-

Don’t forget to grab the free Exhaust Valve Borescoping guide here:

airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

© 2024 Airplane Owner Maintenance

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑